Tortuguero, Costa Rica: travel guide
Car-free Caribbean sandbar village between the Tortuguero canals and the sea, one of the western hemisphere's most important green-turtle nesting sites — reachable only by boat or small plane.
- Country
- Costa Rica
- Currency
- CRC
- Time zone
- America/Costa_Rica
- Nearest airport
- TTQ
Top places to visit in Tortuguero
Tortuguero National Park
Nature · about 3 h · entry USD 17
A maze of jungle canals and lagoons — "Central America's Amazon" — and the region's key green-turtle nesting site.
Tortuguero Beach
Beach · about 0.8 h
A ~35 km black-sand nesting beach where green turtles come ashore Jul-Oct; swimming is dangerous.
Tortuguero Village & Main Street
Cultural · about 1 h
A car-free sandbar village of Afro-Caribbean sodas, craft kiosks and tour operators on a sandy path.
Cerro Tortuguero
Viewpoint · about 2 h · entry USD 2
A 119 m volcanic cone — the highest point on the Caribbean coast — with a lookout over canals and sea.
Sea Turtle Conservancy Visitor Center
Museum · about 0.8 h · entry USD 2
Museum of the world's oldest sea-turtle research station, with green-turtle tagging exhibits.
Tortuguero Canals
Wildlife · about 2 h
Palm-lined freshwater canals and lagoons explored by boat, canoe or kayak amid abundant wildlife.
Iglesia de Tortuguero
Heritage · about 0.2 h
The modest village church on the main street, a small community landmark.
Things to do
- Turtle Nesting Night Tour Wildlife · 2 h · from USD 30 per person
- Tortuguero Canal Boat Wildlife Tour Wildlife · 3 h · from USD 30 per person
- Tortuguero Kayak Canal Tour Kayak · 2.5 h · from USD 30 per person
- Cerro Tortuguero Hike Nature · 2.5 h · from USD 25 per person
- Village & Sea Turtle Conservancy Walk Cultural · 1.5 h · from USD 15 per person
Day trips and tours
- Tortuguero Canals & Village 5 h · from USD 60
Where to stay in Tortuguero
- Tortuguero Village about CRC 60 per night
Car-free sandbar village with sodas, kiosks, the park entrance and turtle museum, all on foot.
- Canal & Mainland Lodges about CRC 180 per night
Boat-only eco-lodges along the main canal, most sold as all-inclusive packages.
Hotels
- Casa Marbella 2-star · USD 40 to USD 70 per night
- Tortuga Lodge & Gardens 4-star · USD 180 to USD 320 per night
- Manatus Hotel 4-star · USD 200 to USD 350 per night
- Mawamba Lodge 3-star · USD 120 to USD 200 per night
- Pachira Lodge 3-star · USD 110 to USD 190 per night
- La Baula Lodge 3-star · USD 90 to USD 160 per night
Where to eat
- Miss Junie's Caribbean · about USD 15 per person
- Wild Ginger International, Fusion · about USD 18 per person
- Budda Café Italian, Cafe · about USD 14 per person
- Taylor's Place Caribbean, BBQ · about USD 10 per person
- Soda Doña María Costa Rican · about USD 8 per person
Getting around
- Boat main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.